Serving table with rotatable center



April 1952 A. E. THIEL SERVING TABLE WITH ROTATABLE CENTER Filed June 16, 1950 INVENTOR. flr'f/mr .E" Thie/ BY Patented Apr. 1, 1952 UNITED STATES ,RATENT OFFICE SERVING TABLE WITH ROTATABLE CENTER Arthur E. Thiel, Dinuba, Calif. Application June 16, 1950, Serial No. 168,567

1 Claim.

The present invention generally relates to dining tables for use in the home and in public eating places, and is also adapted to use in mercantile establishments for the display of merchandise.

More particularly the invention relates to that type of table wherein there is a centrally disposed area which is mounted for rotation with respect to a stationary peripherial portion thereof, and in connection therewith, the invention is immediately directed to that new and improved detail of construction hereinafter setforth for rotatably supporting the centrally disposed area of such a table in functional relationship to the non-rotatable portion thereof, and among the objects, features, and advantages of the construction, the following thereof may be enumerated:

1) In general, to provide a new and improved means to rotatably support the central area of a table of the character contemplated in a plane of horizontal alignment with a non-rotatable peripherial portion of the table.

(2) In a table of the character contemplated, to provide a new and simple structure for antifriction roller bearing support of the central rotatablearea of a table.

(3) In a table of the character contemplated, to provide a simplified structural support therefor which is easily and quickly assembled and dis-assembled.

(4) In a table of the character contemplated, to provide means, including an anti-friction roller bearing, for vertical and lateral support of a central rotatable table portion with respect to a non-rotatable peripherial table portion.

(5) To provide a low cost, highly efficient and practicable means for rotational support of the central portion of a table with respect to the non-rotatable peripherial portion thereof.

Other likely objects, features and advantages of the construction may be apparent from a detailed observation of the drawing, the specification and the sub-joined claim.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top-plan view of a table of the type which is adapted to incorporate the features of the present invention; and,

Figure 2 is a side-elevational view thereof.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view as seen along line 33, Figure 2, showing the simplified nature of the present construction.

Figure 4 is a view taken along line 4-4, Figure 2, showing the radial support arms for the non rotatable peripherial portion of the table and 2 7 showing the centrally located support post for the rotatable portion thereof, all in relationship to the central supporting post for the table as a whole.

Figure 5 is a non-scale view in elevation showing the rotatable element positioned upon a flanged shaftjournalled in a roller bearing.

Figure 6 is also a non-scale view which is adapted to best illustrate the construction ,involved in establishing an anti-friction hearing within the table support post and the mode of supporting the rotatable portion of the table in the bearing.

Figure 7 is a transverse sectionalview taken along line l-l, Figure 6, showing the, construction in plan View t In the drawing the reference numeral Ill indicates a table of the character herein contemplated, in which I2 is a stationary peripherial portion adapted to provide means to support a dinner service, or articles for display, and M is a centrally disposed circular and rotatable table portion set within the central opening 13 and in horizontal alignment with the tablle portion l2, upon which foodstufis, or articles for display may be placed whereby suchitems may be brought from an opposite position toaposition of adjacency to the one who is interested therein by merely rotating the element l4 circularly upon its supporting axis to be hereinafter described.

Beneath the table Hi there is a centrally positioned and vertically disposed table support column l6 having laterally disposed legs I8 for stabilized support thereof. The column I6 is tubular in form and is adapted to receive a flanged capping 20 lying across and over-hanging its upper end and to this capping there is secured the column It by means such as setscrews 24. Support arms 26 are welded to the flange 22 and extending upwardly and radially therefrom are adapted to support the peripherial portion H of the table.

The capping 20 is also formed with a centrally disposed, dependent tubular seat 28 withinlwhich there is an anti-friction bearing 30 which is also detachably secured in functional use position, as by means of the set screws 32.

i The central circular portion M of the table is detachably supported upon the flanged end 34 of a stub-shaft 36 as by means of screws not shown. and the bearing 30 is press-fitted upon the shaft 36 so as to form a unitary structure substantially as shown in Figure 5.

After assembly of the table portion 14, the

shaft 36 and the bearing 30, the assembly is lowered through the circular opening 13 so as to place the bearing in the tubular seat 28 with the table portion 14 aligned with its companion table portion l2. When the table elements 12 and M are thus aligned in a horizontal plane the screws 32 are tightened for functional use support thereof as shown in Figure 6.

, The elements 12 and M of the table may be formed of quarter-sawed lumber, ply-wood, metal, an adaptable plastic resin material, or other materials bonded by a suitable plastic resin, while the remainder of the structure is preferably formed of mild steel, styled and finished as may best be adapted to the service in which the table is to be placed. 7

It will thus be seen that the table per se is susceptible of being manufactured in a Wide range of embellished styles and finishes to meet the requirements of the trade, yet at the same time the structure herein disclosed to rotatably support the table element l4 remains the same and that its utility and operative efiiciency will remain constant regardless of those matters of detail which only relate to external appearance,

The table support structure hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the drawing, is believed to disclose a novel improvement with respect to other structural arrangements directed to the same end for the bearing 30 is a standard or stock item obtainable in any size required of an assembly, and in like manner the shaft 35 and the tubular bearing seat 28 are either obtainable from a stock supply thereof or may be readily machined to dimension to accommodate the bearing 30, thereby simplifying and reducin the over-all production cost of the table support as compared with the cost of manufacturing the same unit upon an individualized basis.

Since the bearing 30 is highly efiicient in operation, it will be apparent that by positioning and supporting the element 14 as herein shown a minimum of effort is required to effect a complete or partial rotation thereof to the end that food' or other items may be wheeled from a remote position to a position adjacent to the operator thereof, which fact upon the occasion of use in the home, is promotional of quiet and suppression of confusion which. usually attends a famil dinner in which a number of persons are requesting that this or that item be passed to them.

Having thus described my invention in its presently preferred form, that which I believe to be novel and for which I seek Letters Patent, is as follows:

In a table having an annular stationary service element and a circular rotatable service element having a stub-shaft dependent therefrom, and including a support post common to both of said service elements; means to rotatably support the second mentioned service element with respect to a plane coincidental to the top surface of the first mentioned service element, said means including a capping upon the upper free end of said support post, said capping having a horizontal surface and a pair of diametrically unequal concentric annular flanges dependent therefrom, the greater of said concentric annular flanges overhanging the sides of said support post for positioning thereof in alignment with said support post and the lesser of said concentric annular flanges being positioned within and medially aligned with the longitudinal axis of said support post, a bearing positioned Within and supported by the lesser of said annular flanges, said bearing being adapted to receive said stub-shaft in pressfitted relationship whereby non-tilting rotation thereof including the circular service element is obtained.

ARTHUR E. THIEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 468,502 Hubbard et al Feb. 9, 1892 604,766 Korell May 31, 1898 668,522 Jolly Feb. 19, 1901 1,053,742 Osvald Feb. 18, 1913 2,301,105 Yost r Nov. 3, 1942 2,317,042 Evans Apr. 20, 1943 2,348,046 Yost -l May 2, 1944 2,494,242 Hardy Jan. 10, 1950 2,546,803 Waldon, Sr Mar. 27, 1951 

